Background: Promoting breastfeeding is a central aim of child health care. It is critical to develop
approaches that are inexpensive, effective, and suitable across cultural and socioeconomic
groups.
Objective: To study the effect of training perinatal–neonatal nursing and medical staff in
breastfeeding guidance on the duration of breastfeeding in a middle-income urban population.
Methods: This was an interventional study with data collection before and after. The intervention
was an intensive course on breastfeeding guidance provided to all of the neonatal
nurses and midwives in a local general hospital (2001–2002). Data were collected on two
cohorts of mothers and infants (before −1999 [n = 471], after −2003 [n = 364]) regarding the
duration of breastfeeding and factors influencing its discontinuation.
Results: The rate of breastfeeding initiation rose from 84% to 93% (p = 0.0001) and the mean
duration of breastfeeding rose from 3.7 ± 3.7 to 5.6 ± 4.3 months (p = 0.0001). The rate of
breastfeeding in the delivery room rose from 3% to 37% (p = 0.0001). Satisfaction with breastfeeding
guidance in the hospital rose from 43% to 79% (p = 0.0001). However, there was no
change in the proportion of mothers who planned to breastfeed this infant (88% in both cohorts)
and no significant differences in the reasons given by the mothers for stopping breastfeeding.
Conclusion: Training hospital nursery staff in breastfeeding guidance is a potential, cost-effective
intervention even in settings with relatively high rates of breastfeeding.
